Editor's Note: I had the good fortune to talk again with Susan Miller, who is celebrating 15 years of success with Astrology Zone. Here she talks about 2011, a year on the heels of a tough one, but that she says will restore hope.

She goes more in-depth in her wonderfully illustrated calendar, The Year Ahead, 2011.

On the Malaise of December 2010

December (2010) was a mixed month, with Mercury retrograde and the tough eclipse (Dec 21st). It’s as if the gears stopped working, then somebody put on the breaks and we just lost momentum. You try to keep up the momentum and you find you just can’t.

Some had tough experiences in December, right before Christmas and to have an eclipse . That can be a cosmic event that makes you feel overwrought. Some feel it right then on December 21st …or some feel it a month later. The mutable signs felt it immediately, and some feel it a little later. (Editor’s Note: the eclipse on Dec. 21st was in Gemini – the mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.)

On the New Moon in Capricorn, January 4th, 2011

Now we had a nice eclipse in January. Not everyone had good news, as you can see when you look at the TV screen and see all that’s going on. I would say that for the aggregate, the January eclipse was lovely. And it embodied what I like about this year, and that’s there is a lot of change going on.

Big Change in 2011

Jupiter is changing signs 3 signs this year. And Uranus will change signs for the first time in 84 years. Neptune is going back home to Pisces. It won’t settle down permanently in Pisces until February 2012 but it will move through this year from April 4 to August 4th.

Internet Warms Up with Neptune

It’ll give us a little idea of what life will be like when Neptune goes into Pisces. I get excited when heavy-duty planets go into new signs. We can see that Neptune was asked to set up the Internet with Pluto and Uranus – since Neptune has been in Aquarius since 1998.

Uranus, the ruler of technology and innovation was in Aquarius from 1996 to 2003. And then we had Pluto in Sagittarius (1995 to 2008), which rules publishing and dispersion of information. Pluto came by to help out.

Transcending the Coldness of the ‘Net

These planets in these signs set up the internet. And we love it. It’s changed our lives completely. Pluto went on to work on money – changing our relationship to money, how we earn it, how we spend it and how we save it. True to Pluto’s demanding nature, it’s forcing all of us to have this meditation on money.

And Neptune’s said, I’ll stay here and keep monitoring these things. Now that Neptune is going into Pisces, I feel that Neptune in Pisces can correct some of the problems we saw developing with the Internet. There’s a certain coldness and anonymity, where someone can purport to be someone else. Especially with the dating sites.

Changing Internet Dating

I saw an article where this social scientist had set up the algorithms for these dating sites and he was dismayed to find that not everyone found someone suitable. He approached the management, and said, “Why don’t we have a phase two.”

He told them, “Let’s write a different program for people who didn’t find someone. He said, “we can go further," and then he left because he was too upset about the process. In so many cases, the technology wasn't connecting people. Something is missing in the equation.

On the Impersonal Dating Scene

And I find among my girlfriends, they say, all he does is text me! All we do is talk on the phone. Aquarius ruled by Uranus has many friends – it’s the sign that rules networking, and is a very evolved sign. Aquarians have many friends, but they’re hard to get close to.

The famous Aquarians are so often just beautiful to look at -- Jennifer Anniston, Sarah Palin and the late Paul Newman. They’re so mesmerizing, that even if you don’t agree with them in any way, you can’t help but stop what you’re doing and stare at the TV screen.

But Aquarius is not touchy feely and you add that to the internet –- people are putting up their hands and saying I’m never going to meet anyone! Neptune is going into its home planet of Pisces, as I mentioned, from April to August 4th (2011) and will be back February 2012 to stay in Pisces until 2026. This will bring on a major societal shift.

More Face-to-Face Meet-ups

Neptune will retrograde out and back, so that’s quite a long time (to 2026). The sentimental people among us will be excited about this. This will make us want to meet people in person.

When you look at a person’s face and see the muscles, their gestures and expressions, you learn more than in a few words of text.

You can see in long distance relationships that when you get together, it’s exciting, but usually for periods when you drop everything and spend time together. It’s like the movies but not real life. You need to see the person on good days and bad days, and Neptune Pisces will find us moving in that whole spectrum of emotion. We will really have an exciting future here – it gives hope to all of us who feel things could be better in our love lives.

A New Vocabulary in Love

Neptune rules the face, so we’ll see technologies like Skype getting better in quality. The upgrade in technologies will enable us to see each other better. We’ll be using our intuition to feel our connection with the world, and we’ll know without words.

Pisces is a right brain sign, and rules gestures, art. We’re all going to learn a new vocabulary in love and I’m excited about it. We’ll be keeping our antennae up.

Jupiter into Aries

Jupiter will go into Aries on January 22nd. Fire signs get their chocolates this year, and they get their chance. Jupiter will be moving so fast like a speeding bullet. Aries is saying, I’m supposed to get a whole year and that’s not much time because Jupiter leaves Aries on June 5th.

And well true, Jupiter usually stays in a sign the whole year . But last summer, we got a little taste of Jupiter Aries, and this time, the bonus is that Jupiter will not retrograde at all. It's full steam ahead!

On Retrogrades When a planet retrogrades, he’s a little drunk. And you’re trying to wake him up. But he’s stammering and babbling and we say you’re not making any sense. He’s no use when he’s retrograde. Jupiter goes retrograde every year for 5 months or so.

Part of that time, Jupiter was direct in Aries last summer – now you’ll have all good months. Jupiter will be moving so fast and be so very robust. My advice is to be decisive when opportunity comes. Catch the ball and run with it, because you will not in some cases, be given a second chance. When Jupiter is in Aries, air and fire signs will get tremendous support.

Jupiter Taurus

Other signs (earth and water) get their chance when Jupiter goes into Taurus, so don’t worry, there’s something for everyone.

When Will the Recession End?

It won’t end until Saturn leaves Libra in Oct 2012. A lot of my friends ask me this and I tell them, Saturn wants to create change and we are creatures of habit. So knowing that Saturn is going to be there so long, it’s saying try something new.

Try new tools to deal with what’s going on. You cannot rely on things you used to use so well. With Saturn, we soon see we’ve wasted valuable time. Saturn retrogrades starting January 26th to June 12th. So that’s when you might see that there’s a need to go back to school for refresher courses, or have a new attitude.

Don’t fall into a trap of saying, “I’m too old for this,” because that’s unproductive. You have to say, “I’m going to try something new – when you adapt that attitude, Saturn really helps you.”

With Saturn, I’ve found you don’t need the answers, but you need the right questions. Then people come to you, and they say the same question occurred to me and here’s what I did. There’s nothing more inspiring than to see someone trying really hard.

Energy attracts energy.

With Saturn in retrograde so long, continue with this process of reinventing yourself and your approach. We’re all in the same boat. Many of us have been hit by news we didn’t expect.

Like if a boyfriend or girlfriend is transferred somewhere else, we have to be flexible and resourceful and have an attitude of “I can do this. I’m an intelligent person.”

Summer Eclipses of 2011

This summer we’re going to be challenged with three eclipses in a row, 2 weeks apart. The first is in Gemini, on June 1st and it’s a New Moon, so that’s kind of nice. The next is more emotional, on June 15th, and the one after that is a difficult one. It’s a New Moon/Solar eclipse on July 1st. I like New Moons because they open up new paths and new opportunities.

New Moons tend to be less emotional than a Full Moon. So in essence, we’re going to see a lot of change this summer, beginning with airport security and containers –- Gemini rules aviation and shipping. I think we’re going to be having a tightening of security increasingly.

Cardinal Eclipse, July 1st

The eclipses are mixed, but the last one is the same eclipse that occurred in 1992, at the same degree. Sometimes it’s good to look back, and that fell on June 30th that year. It’s very cardinal, a big cross and that tends to bring things to a head – to break a situation down that’s not working.

Pluto is on the other side in Capricorn, but you’ve got Saturn in Libra and Uranus in Aries. It just means something is going to be swept away that’s not working.

It’s also close to the US birthday (July 4th), and that’s usually a wake up call. We realize we have to do something or correct something. The eclipse is going to look for weak link and find it so you can fix it.

Eclipses, Tough Love

Eclipses really are your friend, though they have this tough love attitude. I think of Lassie barking away, pulling on the apron and creating an urgent situation where you can’t say I’m cooking now and will just put that off.

Jupiter and Pluto

At the end of February, they square each other. The Jupiter square prompts you to ask, How is your endeavor going? Do you have to put more money into it, more capital, put out a new product, or do you want to leave it altogether? It’s a benchmark moment to decide what to do.

By July 7th, Jupiter and Pluto are in a trine, moving at direct speed. That’s an exciting day that could be good for most people financially.

When Jupiter is in Aries, the spirit of entrepreneurship is in the air. The green grass is growing, and we feel like we’re talking steps out of recession. There’s another trine of Jupiter-Pluto on October 28th. This is never a bad aspect, but Jupiter will be retrograde, so he won’t deliver as many gifts as he did in July. It’s right after a New Moon. There’s lots more energy and we’ll notice it, and it could have uplifting effects on markets.

On Job Trends

The figures they’re showing right now seem off the mark. I’m suspicious about the latest figures (as of January 11, 2011) because of the eclipse December 21st (2010). We could see a lot of companies unable to carry payroll, and then we have those hired just for Christmas, but that won’t continue. There will be a wobble here.

I do think things are getting better, especially in the first half of the year. Money will be reaching small businesses. They are our hope for the future and yet everyone’s complaining, I can’t get a loan. In those first months of this year, they will get loans if they qualify.

Jupiter in Taurus

Jupiter rules real estate, and that is giving me hope. Saturn is in the US chart in the 4th House -- the inventory is high and a lot of houses won’t get sold. That’s a drag on the economy, slowing everything down. But Taurus rules buying and selling houses and that’s great.

And Jupiter in Gemini is going to be such a shot in the arm beginning in mid-June 2012. The end of 2012 sounds like another country, but mid 2012 doesn’t sound so far away.

Anyone looking to start their own business should know the rules and regulations well – learn industry standards and government rules for your field.

Don’t stop looking, is my advice. Also, a little job on side can grow like the seeds in Jack in the Beanstalk. For six years I had two jobs, and astrology was like my little baby until it grew. So keep looking for full time work, but try your hand at being an entrepreneur.

Uranus is in Aries starting in March, for the spirit to go out there and make it happen. For example, I have a friend in medical sales and I tell him to get out there and do it. Go have lunch with people, show you’re available, keep listening to street talk, read industry journals and so on.

If you look at it with astrology in mind, he’s a planet spinning by himself. Something happens when he talks to another little planet.

Crown of Stars

In February, March and April, we have a stellium, or “crown of stars,” beginning in Aquarius. Then that crown of stars moves in Pisces and Aries, following each other like little partygoers, in that timeframe.

I like these stelliums. They are speaking to us very clearly, saying, this is where the opportunity lies for you.

On the Seesaw with Saturn

In April, Jupiter Aries is conjunct the Sun, and on the 3rd, Saturn will be opposing the Sun Aries. All this with a Mercury retrograde too. Aries catches fire easily and jumps in with both feet – that’s what we love about Aries! They’re great leaders and know how to create the dream team, but get bored with details.

This Saturn opposition to Aries planets will stabilize things like a seesaw. It’s a counterbalance to the reckless or overoptimistic moments with all this Aries energy. Aries might say, let’s all jump in the pool! And Saturn is there to say, “maybe it’s not deep enough, maybe you should dip your toe in the water to find out.” So you see, it’s not such a bad thing having Saturn there.